A personal quest to promote the use of wind energy and hydrogen technology in the Great Lakes area of the United States. The Great Lakes area is in a unique position to become an energy exporting region through these and other renewable energy technologies. *Update 2014: Just do it everywhere - Dan*

Four renewable energy industry groups, including the American Wind Energy Association, in a letter criticized the Energy Department's study of the electric grid, which they fear favors nuclear and coal generation. "We express our disappointment that the Department has apparently chosen not to make this review -- which as outlined in your memo has the potential to upend energy markets around the country -- public and open to input from industry, grid operators, state regulators and other key stakeholders," wrote AWEA, the American Council on Renewable Energy, Advanced Energy Economy and the Solar Energy Industries Association in a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Renewables like wind and solar are stimulating job growth across the US and will continue to do so -- especially with tax credits in place to provide investors with long-term security, said Tom Kiernan, CEO of American Wind Energy Association, and Christopher Mansour, Solar Energy Industries Association's vice president of federal affairs, in an interview. "The industry, with that type policy clarity, is able to invest and those investments do mean additional jobs," said Kiernan.

Renewable energy groups and environmentalists that support the Clean Power Plan have asked a federal court to remand the rule back to the Environmental Protection Agency. The coalition argues that remanding the rule would lift the stay and allow the EPA to consider changes to the rule as opposed to the indefinite stay sought by the White House.

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MHI Vestas is in the process of developing a new power converter module assembly plant for its 8-megawatt V164 offshore turbine platform at a port in Denmark, according to the company. It added that the plant, which will be at the Port of Esbjerg, meets a growing demand for the machine and its parts.

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DNV GL has asked industry stakeholders for feedback on its criteria for assessing site conditions at offshore wind farms, said the company. "They will be able to contribute and influence the development of the assessment criteria to ensure their concerns are covered, practices are acknowledged and the objectives of all stakeholders are met," said DNV GL.

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Floating offshore wind turbines and other examples of innovation in the renewable energy sector are helping electronic original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers, like Apple and its supply arm Ibiden, transition to clean energy sources, writes Ariella Brown. She argues that floating offshore wind projects in Japan, France and Sweden are helping those nations meet their renewable energy targets as well as helping electronic OEMs build renewable energy-powered supply chains.

Egypt is working toward its goal of sourcing 20% of its total electricity from renewables by 2022 -- up from its current 3% -- by focusing on wind and solar development. "Utilizing renewable energy is part of a national plan to diversify electricity generation sources to meet growing demand and secure the continuity of the electricity sup­ply," said Ministry of Electricity spokesman Ayman Hamza.

Taiwan unveiled an energy plan today that involves eliminating nuclear energy by 2025 and bringing its total installed land-based and offshore wind capacity to 4,200 megawatts by the point, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. It added that it expects to invest $22.7 billion in its wind industry.

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A bill under consideration in Illinois that would eliminate a provision about wind farms in the Future Energy Jobs Bill could open the door the more than $2 billion worth of new wind investments, said state Sen. Don Harmon. "The bill created significant uncertainty that prevented investment in Illinois by the wind industry, which makes no sense," he said.

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AWEA News

Wind offers Okla. schools a lifeline during budget cuts

The Oklahoman recently took a look at what the Sooner State's growing wind industry has meant for rural school districts. Its findings: wind power has made a big difference. Oklahoma has faced steep cuts to its state education budget in recent years, but wind payments have helped bridge the gap for many small-town districts. Learn more.

AWEA's Community Engagement Seminar series: Let's learn from each other

Ask any wind farm developer, and they'll tell you the most successful projects are in communities that want them. And a lot of communities do, as there are wind farms in 41 out of 50 states, supporting well-paying jobs and investing billions of dollars in rural communities. But how can we help ensure that happens? What are the best ways to mobilize the vast majority of people who support wind power while addressing the concerns that are natural for any major project? The next installment of AWEA's Community Engagement Seminar series, happening on May 22 in Anaheim, Calif., tackles exactly these questions. Learn more.

The above links are all to the e-book versions of these chapbooks.
For paperback versions and to view a listing of all my books as they are released click
HERE: Dan Stafford's Poetic Universe

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*NOTE* Before moving the Zephyr to this domain on blogspot, the original blog hosted at Whizzyrds.com/Windblog.html had over 88,000 visits, and was receiving about 25-100 visits per day since May, 2003.
I am moving the old site meter to this space, and it will continue to report hits on the OLD blog site:

I believe I had around 200,000 total hits or so on this blog before Sitemeter went defunct.

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Work in the Environmental industry, especially in the Great Lakes region? Have your say-so on the state of the industry and present your own views on the GL Zephyr!
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About Me

Happily married with two grown children out on their own, I've had extensive life experience in many areas. I consider myself a Progressive, and I strive to make the world a better place for those around me and those who'll follow after us. I am an Air Force Veteran, and I have been a Telecommunications Technician since 1993, with a Vocational Diploma in Aircraft Electronics. My interests are Environmentalism, Science, Social Justice, Poetry and Music, Reading, Karate, and learning Spanish. I'm originally from Southern Wisconsin, and have lived in the Chicago Metro area (Naperville, Plainfield, & Oak Brook) since late 1997. Moved to Temecula, CA January of 2015.

Why I Publish This Blog:

"One thing that many people do not realize is that states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are sitting on a gold mine of wind energy potential. Or, more properly, next to the mine. The Great Lakes are probably the area in the USA with the third largest inland wind energy potential. Think of just the nickname for Chicago. "The Windy City". Milwaukee is even windier, I can tell you. Why? Because they sit on the edge of a great flat area where there is both a land-water temperaturedifferential, and a large flat expanse of water that is comparably shallow.Oilrigs certainly operate in deeper waters. And you won't have to construct transmission lines all the way from the plains of Montana to put it to use.

The Great Lakes area has an opportunity to get the jump on wind energy's future, if that fact isrecognized and exploited. Wind energy means jobs for construction and maintenance workers, thousandsof them. Wind energy means leasing rights and extra money for family farmers struggling to make it onagriculture alone. In most cases farmers can grow crops right up to the base of a windmill. The landfootprint has a small impact on total farm acreage. Wind energy also means freedom from fluctuatingfuel prices. Wind is free. The cost of a barrel of polluting oil can be raised or lowered drasticallybased on fears or political whims. The potential gains are enormous. We've all seen the flow of goodmanufacturing jobs out of the area. Well, they can't tell the wind to blow in another country so it'smore "convenient" or cheaper to produce. The wind is perfectly happy to whip up opportunities for usright around here. Most of all, because we here in the Great Lakes region have the potential to havea huge positive impact on U.S. energy industry emissions' contribution to global warming."

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Dan Stafford - PublisherClick on this pic to e-mail Dan.WE WELCOME ENERGY STORY SUBMISSIONS!
Please note the E-mail link by the title of the webpage. Comments, stories, and article submissions are welcome.
Any accepted submission entitles the submitter to a link on the Journal page included at the bottom of their submitted entry when published to the journal.
The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal makes no claim as to the accuracy of submitted material. The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal neither endorses nor opposes opinions expressed in submitted material. Submitter must provide
name, city, and state or country. The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal imples no promise to publish all submissions. Adult content will definitely NOT be published.
Submitted material will be screened and appropriate entries published at the owner's discretion.

Safe, healthy, good for the economy, good for the environment, good for farmers, good for you, and just downright good produce:

I strongly encourage those seriously interested in learning about the technology, players, politics, and issues of Wind Energy to spend time browsing the
American Wind Energy Association website. They are the premier industry trade organization and have extensive resources available.
(www.awea.org)